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  • Blog Post: Iceland 2013: Waterfalls, culture, and aurorae

    I wrote in yesterday’s blog that I’d describe a bit more about the daytime activities of the past few days. On Saturday, we made our way back to Reykjavik from the southern coast. Along the way, the tour stopped at a couple of waterfalls — one of which (the 200-feet-tall [60 meters...
  • Blog Post: Iceland 2013: More aurorae!

    Both last night and tonight we were fortunate enough to see more northern lights. Saturday gave an incredible show and Sunday’s was a nice going-away gift — tomorrow is the day we leave beautiful Iceland. [caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs...
  • Blog Post: Iceland 2013: Lava fields and glaciers

    Yesterday morning I gave my astronomical lecture about “The active Sun.” That went quite well — even though many in our travel group had been awake for a late night of aurora sightings. [caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles...
  • Blog Post: Guest blog: Leo by night, lions by day

    Nick Howes, a freelance science writer for the European Space Agency and the pro-am program manager for the Faulkes Telescope, provides a guest blog about a recent “Astro Safari” to the pristine skies of Tanzania. The journey started at the UK 50 Space Conference, an event I only decided...
  • Blog Post: Iceland 2013: Water wonders and aurorae

    Today we got to see a sampling of Iceland’s amazing natural wonders (including the northern lights!). [caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Tours-Iceland+Mar13/2158.gullfoss.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http...
  • Blog Post: Iceland 2013: Reykjavik and the Blue Lagoon

    During this week, I’m aurora hunting from the beautiful island country of Iceland. I’m joining a tour with Astronomy magazine’s travel partner, MWT Associates, Inc. , as the lecturer. While here, I get to learn about Iceland’s impressive geology and rich culture while hoping the...
  • Blog Post: On the road: Australia eclipse trip, eclipse day

    [caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/telligent-evolution-components-attachments/13-67-00-00-00-48-84-29/Eclipse_2D00_1.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/telligent-evolution-components-attachments/13-67-00-00-00-48-84-29/Eclipse_2D00_1...
  • Blog Post: On the road: Australia eclipse trip, days 3 and 4

    [caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/telligent-evolution-components-attachments/13-67-00-00-00-48-84-21/4_2D00_1.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/telligent-evolution-components-attachments/13-67-00-00-00-48-84-21/4_2D00_1.jpg"]Green Island...
  • Blog Post: Off to Australia for the total solar eclipse

    [caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Deep_2D00_sky+objects/2112.Southern_2D00_sky.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51...
  • Blog Post: On the road: Annular eclipse trip, May 22, 2012

    [caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Tours-Annular+eclipse/5428.Mission.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Tours-Annular...
  • Blog Post: On the road: Annular eclipse trip, May 21, 2012

    [caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Tours-Annular+eclipse/6558.Very_2D00_Large_2D00_Array.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00...
  • Blog Post: On the road: Annular eclipse trip, May 18, 2012

    [caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Tours-Annular+eclipse/6862.Rich_2D00_geologist.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00...
  • Blog Post: On the Road: Tunisia, in search of ancient meteorites, Day 9

    Astronomy magazine’s tour group of 22, accompanied by Chris McKay of NASA Ames, Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates, and your editor, enjoyed its last day of touring Tunisia on Monday, March 28. Intermittent Wi-Fi availability at our final hotel delayed my posting of this last day’s blog until...
  • Blog Post: On the Road: Tunisia, in search of ancient meteorites, Days 7 and 8

    Astronomy magazine’s group of Tunisian travelers, 22 strong and accompanied by Chris McKay of NASA Ames, Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates, and me, had a very busy weekend. On Saturday, March 26, we employed Tozeur, Tunisia, in the far west, as a base. We had traveled across the great salt lake of...
  • Blog Post: On the Road: Tunisia, in search of ancient meteorites, Days 5 and 6

    Today’s blog covers the past two days of our Tunisian trip as the Internet at our hotel in Matmata dropped out Thursday night. The Astronomy magazine group is now headquartered at a fine hotel in Tozeur, in western Tunisia, for the next couple of nights and the connection to the outside world seems...
  • Blog Post: On the Road: Tunisia, in search of ancient meteorites, Day 4

    Imagine picking up a piece of the asteroid Vesta from a rocky desert hillside, the first person ever to touch that meteorite in history. That’s exactly what all of the members of Astronomy magazine’s Tunisian tour group got to do around noontime on Wednesday, March 23. We were guests of Aljane...
  • Blog Post: On the Road: Tunisia, in search of ancient meteorites, Day 3

    On Tuesday, March 22, our intrepid tour group of 22 Astronomy magazine readers, accompanied by me, planetary scientist Chris McKay, and Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates, continued our journey through Tunisia. Having stayed overnight in Sfax, one of Tunisia’s largest cities, we paid a visit to the...
  • Blog Post: On the Road: Tunisia, in search of ancient meteorites, Days 1 and 2

    Astronomy magazine’s trip to Tunisia with 22 of our readers, in partnership with Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates, started out fluidly as adventurers came to the African country from the United States and a few other regions on Saturday, March 19. By late Sunday, we were all in Tunis, the nation’s...
  • Blog Post: On the road: Tunisia, in search of ancient meteorites

    On Saturday, March 19, I'll be leaving for Tunisia. Yes, that's leaving for Tunisia. For the most part, the political climate has calmed in that North African country, although the ongoing turmoil in neighboring Libya has flooded the region with refugees. Despite the conflict, I'll be accompanying...
  • Blog Post: Brilliant minds meet for SETIcon

    This past weekend, August 13–15, debuted the first SETIcon , which gathered more than a thousand participants in Santa Clara, California. The event — “the first-ever public convention focused on the search for life in the universe in science fact and science fiction” hosted by the SETI Institute (Search...
  • Blog Post: Revisiting the old rockets

    To most people (including my wife), this is what Puerto Rico is all about. Liz Andrews photo Apart from visiting the world-famous Arecibo Observatory on our recent vacation to Puerto Rico, my wife and I made sure to hit the more typical vacation spots too, like the rain forest and beaches. But, because...
  • Blog Post: Virginia resort opens up the skies

    Primland’s Lodge, sitting on the summit of one of Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains, recently built a new attraction: an impressive observatory housed within a 4-story silo. Joann Dost photo Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, just across the North Carolina border, a resort named Primland...
  • Blog Post: Video: An interview with Anne Black of Impactika Meteorites

    Last week at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, I shot a number of videos with prominent meteorite dealers who were set up at the Tucson Hotel City Center (formerly the InnSuites). The second one I shot features Anne Black of Impactika Meteorites in Denver, whose video is posted here . Anne specializes...
  • Blog Post: Pictures from Astronomy’s annular eclipse trip to Africa, final batch

    OK, it’s the final batch of pictures from the magazine’s trip to Kenya to see the solar eclipse of two weeks ago. Enough already with the lions! Thanks to all of you who have contacted me about your enjoyment from these images, and let me say that for anyone considering a safari to eastern Africa, I...
  • Blog Post: Pictures from Astronomy’s annular eclipse trip to Kenya, part four

    Here is a selection of images from January 17 and 18 , representing more amazing sightseeing at Masai Mara, Kenya’s greatest game park. More images to come later. Related: Reader-submitted images of the 2010 annular solar eclipse . Previous blogs: Pictures from Astronomy 's annular eclipse...